Toy



1938- R. SHIPPEE ET AL 2,128,435

TOY

Filed Jan 5 1938 Patented Aug.30,1938

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca Corlett,

Lewisboro Township,

Westchester County, N. Y.; said Corlett asslgnor to said Shippee Application January 5, 1938,'Serial No. 183,402

Claims.

This invention relates to toys and more particularly .to toys comprising a mechanical representation of automobile steering apparatus.

One of the chief objects of the invention is to provide a toy of the above mentioned type which may be mounted on or attached to any seat of an automobile or to a chair or sofa in a house.

Another object is to provide a toy of the above type, equipped with a full dummy set of automobile control apparatus.

A further object is to provide a toy of the above type which will be collapsible for the sake of convenience and also to insure a child against injury from a sudden stop when using the toy in an automobile.

Other objects will appear from what follows:

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, as a non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, of a typical embodiment of the device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view; and

Fig. 3 is a front view.

What may be called the base of the device comprises the plate B, of suitable sheet metal, which is preferably provided with pads I and 8 forming a seat for the child. Plate 6 may be of "any suitable design besides the T-shape indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. These pads may be made of felt, rubber, or any other material suitable for forming a seat. Plate 6 and pads 'l and 8 are preferably secured together by means such as the tacking 9. In order to secure the device to a cushion ID of an auto or other seat, plate 6 is provided by means of a hinge H with a hook l2 designed to engage the cushion approximately as shown in Fig. 1. In some cases it may be desirable to secure hook l2 to the floor by means such as bolt l3. 'The back of the seat is indicated at ll.

To the front of plate 6 is secured, by means of hinge IS, a downwardly extending piece It of suitable sheet metal.- Secured by another hinge I1 is member I 8 which is preferably made of a single piece of suitable springy sheet metal and is curved at I8 to form the horizontal portion l8 a and the upright portion lBb. Part l8a should be of sufficient depth to accommodate the feet of a child and of sufficient width to serve as a floor and base tvhereon may be mounted the dummy pedals and other such devices hereinafter described. Obviously, in some modifications of the device it would m desirable to widen both members 6 and I6 and to use more than one hinge at points l5. and I1.

At the top of part I8!) is rotatably mounted steering wheel l9 by means of stud 20. The hub of wheel l9 will preferably carry a horn button 2| connected to some simple form of horn, not shown. Obviously the design of the wheel may be varied at will.

To secure the device in operative position there is provided a latch 22, hinged to plate 6 at l5, and engaging a stiff spring 23, mounted on part I 8b by means such as rivet 24. The locking means serves also as a safety device, for in the event of a sudden stopping of a car in which the device is being used, if the child is thrown against wheel l9, spring 23 will release latch 22 when the child is thrown forward, and thus will ease the shock. If member I8 is of sufficlently springy material, an eyelet may be substituted for spring 23, inwhich case wheel l9 will'serve as a means for holding the child in the seat of an automobile but at the same time will yield suificiently to cushion him against shock from a sudden stop. As an alternative construction there might be a pair of latches 22, set one at each side of the device, in which case the child could pretend they were the doors of a car. In place of mere latches in this last construction, imitation doors could be used, hinged to member I6 and latching on member l8b.

In order to make the toy as nearly like a real automobile as possible, a complete set of dummy pedals, etc. may be provided. Those shown in the drawing are intended to serve as suggestions. A pair of pedals 25 may be pivotally mounted at 26 on part l8a and provided each with a spring 21 tensioned to offer substantial resistance to the operators foot. A brake lever 28 may be provided by means of any suitable pivotal mounting and equipped with some form of ratchet de vice to simulate the action of real brake lever. A dummy gear shift lever 29 may also be provided. A suitable mounting for the latter would be a ball and socket joint 30, mounted on part Ma, and which may obviously be so constructed, as by means of suitable slots in the socket, as to simulate the action of a gear shift lever on a real automobile. A dummy self-starter button 3| may also be provided, attached to any simple mechanism for making a whirring or other appropriate adaptable to simulate the controls of an airplane, as well as those of a motorboat, ship, or many other wheel-controlled or guiding machines, and the term automobile" in the claims is to be so understood.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a toy comprising a dummy wheel resembling the steering wheel of an automobile, mounting means for said wheel, a seat member adapted to be mounted on any cushion or chair, and means permanently connecting said mounting means and said seat memher.

2. As an article of manufacture, a toy comprising a dummy wheel resembling the steering wheel of an automobile, mounting means for said wheel, seat attaching means adapted to be mounted on any cushion or chair, seat means covering said attaching means, and means connecting said mounting means and said seat means.

3. As an article of manufacture. a toy comprising a dummy wheel resembling the steering wheel of an automobile, mounting means for said wheel, seat means comprising a metal plate, padding means for said plate,- and hinged connections between said plate and said mounting means.

4. As an article of manufacture, a toy comprising a dummy wheel resembling the steering wheel of an automobile, mounting means for said wheel, seat means comprising a metal plate, padding means for said plate, means for securing said seat means on any chair or cushion, and hinged connections between said plate and said mounting means.

5. As an article of manufacture, a toy comprising a dummy wheel resembling the steering wheel of an automobile, mounting means for said wheel, seat means comprising a metal plate, padding means for said plate, means for securing said seat means on any chair or cushion, hinged connections between said plate and said mounting means, and means for locking said mounting means in substantially upright position.

6. A childs toy comprising, seat means comprising a metal plate and padding means for said plate; hook means for securing saidseat means. on a cushion; horizontal and vertical frame members; flexible'connecting means between said frame members and said seat means; and a wheel on a cushion; horizontal and vertical frame members; flexible connecting means between said frame members and said seat means; a wheel rotatably mounted on said vertical frame member; and means for locking said frame members in rigid position with respect to said seat means, said locking means being automatically releasable responsively to sudden pressure against said frame members.

8. A childs toy comprising, seat means com- I prising a metal plate and padding means for said plate; a hook means for securing said seat means on a cushion; horizontal and vertical frame members; flexible connecting means between said frame members and said seat means; a wheel rotatably mounted on said vertical frame member, and dummy automobile control apparatus suitably mounted on said frame members.

9. A toy comprising, a seat member, horizontal and vertical frame members, a wheelmounted on said vertical frame member, a second vertical frame member, and hinged connections between said seat member and said last named vertical frame member and between said last named vertical frame member and said'horizontal frame member.

10. A toy comprising; a seat, a downwardly- Q extending sheet metal member hinged to the front of said seat, a frame comprising horizontal and vertical members formed from another single piece of sheet metal, a dummy steering wheel ro- .4

member, said horizontal frame member being tatably mounted on thetop of said vertical frame hinged to the lower edge of said downwardly-extending member, and means for locking said first named vertical frame member in rigid position with respect to said seat member.

' ROBERT SHIPPEE.

EDWIN H. CORLE'I'I. 

